The Magic of a Turnabout
by Luna-Bell07
Summary: Post Dual Destinies. As December approaches, Apollo and Edgeworth start to disappear! Phoenix and Trucy are gravely worried about their loved ones, but Athena has a few Christmas tricks up her sleeve!
1. Chapter 1

_Takes place a year after Dual Destinies._

* * *

><p>My name's Phoenix Wright. I'm an attorney...<p>

And a worried father.

The closer we get to December, the quieter Apollo gets. The less we see of him. If Athena were to use her Mood Matrix on me, she'd hear my heart shrieking at the top of its lungs. Or something like that. Because the more time passes, the more I worry about him. The more Trucy worries, too.

Athena's fine. She's been the glue holding me together. I asked her if this time of year made her miss her mother. She promptly replied: "Ten laps around the office, Mister". I know she's hurt, but she's strong. Wonderful and brave. Of course she misses Metis, but...she's worried about someone she cares for immensely. She's focused so hard on Apollo.

I'm very lucky to have her.

Athena locks herself away in her apartment, just as Polly locks himself in his. But she's working on something. She promises to let us see it when it's finished. I don't know anything. Neither does Trucy. We do know Athena's making something for Apollo-

And Clay. .

Miss Cykes also mentioned Edgeworth. I haven't told her everything about DL-6, but she knows it hit him. Brutally.

Trucy's already calling Athena our 'Christmas elf'. She hopes Miss Cykes will be able to save her brother, and Miles.

So do I.

Meanwhile, we've got to start decorating. Maybe, if we spruce the agency up with enough Christmas magic, Apollo will come back.


	2. Chapter 2

The base of operations was ready for battle. So were they, stout warriors with hearts of gold that even gladiators would've killed for. Nothing would stop them as they embarked on a mission that would forever change the course of history. They-

Were out to heal two broken hearts.

The Wright Anything Agency was aglow with Christmas cheer, drenched in it from head to toe. Draping holly across the windowpanes was painful at first. Setting down snowflakes and snowmen, winter cottages and lights, were tasks that made the agency's elves heavy-hearted at first, but then they remembered. If they made the agency sing with Christmas cheer all could hear, then maybe, just maybe, Apollo and Prosecutor Edgeworth would be saved.

Apollo's wounds were raw, while Edgeworth's had bandages that would soon fall off. Phoenix had to admit-he was far more worried about Clay's best friend than he was the prosecutor. For Apollo, it had only been a few seconds since a certain incident happened. It had been years since Edgeworth's heart was skewered. And Miles wasn't the one that morphed into Kristoph Gavin over his best friend's death. The prosecutor was stronger, more mature than the young attorney. But-

Both were in dire need of rescuing. Both became quieter and quieter the more time passed. And Apollo's brokenness taught Phoenix something: maybe Miles was hit harder by DL-6 than he ever cared to show.

All that was left was the tree, waiting to be decorated for all to see. But Trucy wouldn't have it. 'We can't decorate without Polly,' the young magician said, tears giving her face a musical glow. 'We have to wait for big brother!'

So, with only the tree waiting for that special family touch, the agency's elves went to work. Athena was at the forefront of things, leading the worried team with iron determination. She brought out everything she promised to show, her eyes aglow. And-

"Star necklaces! Big sis, they're really pretty!"

Phoenix Wright took one of the young woman's masterpieces. Then noticed her earring was missing. "Yep, star necklaces, but Polly might want to call his a pendant," Athena giggled. "We're going to each wear one to Stage One of Polly's Christmas Extravanganza! Junie helped me make them."

Phoenix's face is wreathed in grief, anxiety and love. "Thena, they're gorgeous, but…what happened to your earring?"

Athena gave him a casual look, and an equally casual response. "Oh. I used it to make Polly's pendant."


	3. Chapter 3

_"Oh. I used it to make Polly's pendant."_

Phoenix Wright stared at the young woman that had just sacrificed her mother's last gift. For the sake of a pendant meant for Apollo. Athena, dry-eyed, strong and smiling Athena, had given up one of her most prized possessions to help Apollo. And was happy about it. Widget said so.

Miss Cykes moved back to battle preparations. In a red and white version of her usual outfit, with a white hair ribbon, she was a Christmas elf preparing for war-otherwise known as the Battle for Polly's and Edgeworth's Hearts! "Okay, team," she said, fist in the air, completely steering away from her mother's earring.

"I'm gonna direct your attention to-"

Phoenix held up a hand. "Wait, Thena. Please."

His daughters turned to him in confusion, hearts racing across the uncharted. Silence swallowed the office long enough for the world to be remade, then-

"If you don't mind, I'd like us to just focus on Apollo."

Trucy clutched her heart with both hands, anxious but eager to hear what her father had to say. Athena leaned in towards him, eyes ablaze with curiosity. "How come, Boss?" she asked gently, pawing at her Widget (who had gone purple with confusion).

Phoenix turned to her, eyes made of sadness. "Because I already know how to help Edgeworth," he replied, taking her by the hand. "I'm just way overdue on helping him. He's hurt, yeah, but…for Apollo, the wounds are still open. Raw. And…he's much younger than Prosecutor Edgeworth. Not just in body, but in spirit. Apollo…he's…I'm afraid if we don't do everything we can…we'll lose him. Forever."

Trucy buried her face in her palms, frantically shaking off the possibility of losing her brother. "So, please," Nick urged the young attorney at his side. "Let me concentrate on Edgeworth. I'll help him. Let's just…work on saving Polly. Please."

"All right, will do," Athena promised, after kissing her friend's hand. She then shot to her feet, fist pumping the air. "Okay then, it's time to work on Operation Polly's Christmas Parade in the Stars!"

"How does it go, big sis?" Trucy asked, pawing at her star necklace. Phoenix gave Apollo's back to Athena, entrusting its creator with its safety. "It goes like this," Metis' daughter murmured, as though she were on the verge of revealing ancient secrets.

"We're taking Polly to see the stars! With Clay!"


	4. Chapter 4

_"We're taking Polly to see the stars! With Clay!"_

Phoenix exchanged a curious, hopeful glance with his daughter. The gears in Athena's mind were always churning, leading to fireworks neither of them could ever put their fingers on. She was a mechanic, architect and conductor rolled up into one formidable force, always willing to build where no one else even dared to even look. Not only had she given up her mother's earring to make a star pendant for Polly, but like a true adventurer, she already had her gear packed. Athena wore that prized treasure proudly, but Apollo-

Apollo was far more precious than her earring.

Nick would be surprised if she didn't bolt through the door in a few seconds. Why wouldn't she? Polly, her friend and partner, was in dire need of a rescue. And damsels in distress didn't save themselves-unless they were dating Larry. Some of his damsels had a habit of just jumping out of the tower with a parachute. Apollo was different, though. The thing he called 'life' had become a void, a chasm of nothingness that made him wonder why he even bothered to breathe. He pretended to be without iron boulders on his shoulders, all the while becoming heavier with every step he took.

It was only a matter of time before Polly disappeared. Athena knew that. They all knew it.

Nick couldn't help but smile at the maiden that was always on a voyage into the uncharted, despite Apollo's lifeless face streaming through his mind. Mentally trying to escape streams of silent rainwater from empty eyes, he focused on the investigation at hand. "Mind telling us how that's going to be possible?" the senior attorney asked, while ruffling his daughter's hair. And, as if on cue, Athena pulled something out of her pocket and voila: revealed a brochure. The key to everything!

"Ta da! The answer to our prayers, baby! The Illumadreams Concert in the Stars!"

Realization dawned in Trucy's eyes. "Oh, wow," the young magician murmured, as though her friend had just revealed the path to an ancient city. Her hands came together in a show of jubilance and hope. "I've heard of that before! Mr Eldoon and some of the people in my audience said they've always wanted to see that concert!"

Nervous chuckles were Nick's first responses. "I feel like an old fart for asking this, but what is the Illumadreams Concert? Obviously something I should know about, but-"

"Don't worry about it, Boss," Athena told her friend, her voice a warm, comforting breeze. "It's actually not that easy to get to, let alone get in to. But with a lot of faith, trust and pixie dust, I managed to snag a few tickets!"

Phoenix sighed, shoulders slumped. _Great, another earring. She really will do anything for Apollo. And Clay._

_I'm lucky to have her on board._

Especially since Apollo was off taking another nap. Must've been his tenth thousandth nap that week. At that rate, he'd not only sleep through Christmas, but he'd sail right into Valentine's Day. Either that or they'd-

No. It wasn't anything Nick or Trucy could think about.

Athena, meanwhile, used a certain possibility to spur herself onward. Perfect fuel for a dive into the unknown: thinking of how her soul would shatter if Apollo disappeared. "They talked about it when we were itty bitty runts," the young attorney said, not only speaking to her family but to herself as well. She counted her memories on her fingers, making sure they were all still there, safely locked in place.

"It was something Clay wanted to see on his birthday. I've got the description from the brochure down pat: 'a symphony plays under the stars, celebrating the rare bond between melody and heart'. They play underneath a rare light show, a show that happens once every fifty years. If that bastard hadn't ruined everything, Polly and Clay would've been able to see it-"

Phoenix bowed his head. "This Christmas."

Athena seized the baton. "Right," she nodded sadly. "The show began on the very first Christmas, celebrating the light of never-ending love. It's been going on ever since, in a place that's not easy to get to, but one that's incredibly beautiful."

"The concert's in the Illuminary Mountains, right?" Trucy put in, hands wringing against each other. Sitting still was increasingly difficult, as she couldn't stop thinking about her brother. Apollo. Someone that had already disappeared once. She winced as if a blade had pricked her skin.

It was the most beautiful time of the year. Clay's favorite time of the year. And her brother was on the verge of vanishing-again.

Trucy gripped her star pendant and leaned forward. "Big sis, you've got tickets for us to get into the mountains?"

Athena flashed her victory sign. "I most certainly do! One for Sleeping Beauty, too. And once the concert starts, we'll all be able to experience everything Clay dreamt of seeing! Together! With Apollo! AND our handy-dandy star pendants. Once the concert starts, our star pendants will capture the light of the Illumadreams stars, and they'll glow with that light forever! Pretty cool, huh?"

"I'll say," Nick said softly, pawing at his own pendant. The masterpiece glistened with vibrant light, somehow telling him there was hope, warmth, comfort in a time of darkness. It came in the form of a young female attorney, dressed in December's red and white magic. "But how do you propose to get Apollo to come along? I can't even get him out of bed for dinner!"

"You leave him to me, Sir," Blackquill's partner-in-crime said, thumping a thumb against her heart. Athena's eyes were made of iron at that point.

"I'll take care of Polly. You guys just go and get ready, okay? We're out of here tomorrow morning, five o'clock!"

"Wait, you can't be serious!"

Athena poked Nick on the nose. "I most certainly am, Boss, which means you don't have much time! Gotta get to Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth before we shove off, matey!"

"Yeah, Daddy, gotta tell Mommy you love him, okay?"

"Like THAT's going to happen," the senior attorney groaned, slapping a hand against his forehead.

_Wonderful. Athena's a bad influence on Trucy, and we're out of here in a few measly hours. Gotta love this unpredictable, crazy, hyperactive life of mine._

_Doesn't bother me. I wouldn't trade my family for anything in the world. And that includes Apollo. If we've got to travel to the ends of the universe to save him, then so be it._


End file.
